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Re: James Harrison has lost some of his leg strength
Fool Me Once...
By Jerry DiPaola | Mon, 08/22/2011
James Harrison’s biggest problem isn’t the disrespect for authority he wears so brazenly on his bare chest. The NFL has plenty of those type players who flourish and make loads of cash for themselves and their teams.
Harrison need not worry about how his remarks on the shortcomings of teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall will be viewed when he walks into the Steelers locker room.
Players criticize teammates all the time on every level of sports. Life goes on just fine.
Even his horrible insults of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may not draw more than a fine, and Goodell may not even go that far. Harrison isn’t the first player to speak unkindly of a commissioner (although the homophobic slur crossed the line).
But here’s what should have Harrison losing sleep at night, if he has even an ounce of sense:
He’s 33-years-old, entering his eighth NFL season, and he had two back surgeries in the offseason that could accelerate slippage in his level of play.
Years of tangling with offensive tackles who are close to 100 pounds heavier eventually will take a toll.
If that happens, the Steelers will not hesitate to cut ties with their loud-mouth linebacker. If he’s not sacking the quarterback to his high standards, who needs the hassle?
Then, he can say goodbye to most of that $51 million contract that has four years remaining and many millions of dollars still yet to be paid.
Ouch.
Hurts doesn’t it, James? Just like your words could hurt if anyone paid attention to them.
Before going too far with our criticism of Harrison , it’s important and fair to mention that he is one of the great linebackers in the Steelers’ grand history at the position. He deserves to be mentioned prominently with Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert and, perhaps, ahead of Greg Lloyd, who was just as nasty but had the good sense to keep his mouth shut most of the time.
Mean, relentless, difficult to block, incredibly productive, Harrison helped his team arrive at three Super Bowls, winning two. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team each of the past four seasons, and was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.
Any smart coach would take Harrison on his team right now, no matter how uncivil or rude his actions may appear.
But the NFL is also an unforgiving entity. Players, even those with great reputations, are not given much leeway when their physical gifts start to erode.
Chuck Noll once referred to Franco Harris as “Franco, who?” when his salary demands didn’t match his diminished skill level.
If Harrison can no longer get to the quarterback with regularity—and that day may not occur for a year or two—the Steelers will cut ties with him, too. And in his case, the club won’t look back and will act swiftly, given his latest outburst to Men’s Journal magazine and his previous refusal to accompany his teammates to the White House.
That’s the way sports treats its elderly. If you can’t play well enough to justify those outrageous salaries, you must come to grips with reality. You can’t play forever.
The same will happen soon to wide receiver Hines Ward, linebacker James Farrior and defensive end Aaron Smith when they no longer can help the Steelers win games.
Ward and Farrior look safe for another season or two, although Ward needs to be punished severely if he is found guilty of drunk-driving.
But Smith has been plagued by season-ending injuries in the latter stages of his career. He may survive another season, too, but the Steelers have used their first-round draft choice on a defensive end in two of the past three years.
Like any good team, they are preparing for the inevitable.
You won’t meet a finer man or a better father or husband than Aaron Smith, qualities that will work in his favor. But his salary, when judged against younger, less inexpensive players Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward, gets tougher for the Steelers to swallow every year.
That’s why as a player ages into his 30s, he must be careful how he acts in public. Sometimes, teams can tolerate insubordination from a linebacker who collects 10 sacks per season. When that number drops to five while his salary remains high, teams don’t need any more reason to look elsewhere.
Sadly for Harrison, he never learned to tread lightly. On the field, that’s a good thing. Off the field, it can be a career killer.
[url="http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/PSR/node/2799"]http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/PSR/node/2799[/url]
Fool Me Once...
By Jerry DiPaola | Mon, 08/22/2011
James Harrison’s biggest problem isn’t the disrespect for authority he wears so brazenly on his bare chest. The NFL has plenty of those type players who flourish and make loads of cash for themselves and their teams.
Harrison need not worry about how his remarks on the shortcomings of teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall will be viewed when he walks into the Steelers locker room.
Players criticize teammates all the time on every level of sports. Life goes on just fine.
Even his horrible insults of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may not draw more than a fine, and Goodell may not even go that far. Harrison isn’t the first player to speak unkindly of a commissioner (although the homophobic slur crossed the line).
But here’s what should have Harrison losing sleep at night, if he has even an ounce of sense:
He’s 33-years-old, entering his eighth NFL season, and he had two back surgeries in the offseason that could accelerate slippage in his level of play.
Years of tangling with offensive tackles who are close to 100 pounds heavier eventually will take a toll.
If that happens, the Steelers will not hesitate to cut ties with their loud-mouth linebacker. If he’s not sacking the quarterback to his high standards, who needs the hassle?
Then, he can say goodbye to most of that $51 million contract that has four years remaining and many millions of dollars still yet to be paid.
Ouch.
Hurts doesn’t it, James? Just like your words could hurt if anyone paid attention to them.
Before going too far with our criticism of Harrison , it’s important and fair to mention that he is one of the great linebackers in the Steelers’ grand history at the position. He deserves to be mentioned prominently with Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert and, perhaps, ahead of Greg Lloyd, who was just as nasty but had the good sense to keep his mouth shut most of the time.
Mean, relentless, difficult to block, incredibly productive, Harrison helped his team arrive at three Super Bowls, winning two. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team each of the past four seasons, and was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.
Any smart coach would take Harrison on his team right now, no matter how uncivil or rude his actions may appear.
But the NFL is also an unforgiving entity. Players, even those with great reputations, are not given much leeway when their physical gifts start to erode.
Chuck Noll once referred to Franco Harris as “Franco, who?” when his salary demands didn’t match his diminished skill level.
If Harrison can no longer get to the quarterback with regularity—and that day may not occur for a year or two—the Steelers will cut ties with him, too. And in his case, the club won’t look back and will act swiftly, given his latest outburst to Men’s Journal magazine and his previous refusal to accompany his teammates to the White House.
That’s the way sports treats its elderly. If you can’t play well enough to justify those outrageous salaries, you must come to grips with reality. You can’t play forever.
The same will happen soon to wide receiver Hines Ward, linebacker James Farrior and defensive end Aaron Smith when they no longer can help the Steelers win games.
Ward and Farrior look safe for another season or two, although Ward needs to be punished severely if he is found guilty of drunk-driving.
But Smith has been plagued by season-ending injuries in the latter stages of his career. He may survive another season, too, but the Steelers have used their first-round draft choice on a defensive end in two of the past three years.
Like any good team, they are preparing for the inevitable.
You won’t meet a finer man or a better father or husband than Aaron Smith, qualities that will work in his favor. But his salary, when judged against younger, less inexpensive players Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward, gets tougher for the Steelers to swallow every year.
That’s why as a player ages into his 30s, he must be careful how he acts in public. Sometimes, teams can tolerate insubordination from a linebacker who collects 10 sacks per season. When that number drops to five while his salary remains high, teams don’t need any more reason to look elsewhere.
Sadly for Harrison, he never learned to tread lightly. On the field, that’s a good thing. Off the field, it can be a career killer.
[url="http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/PSR/node/2799"]http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/PSR/node/2799[/url]
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